The Performance of Environmentalists

I love the environment. I love being outdoors with the sun on my forehead, even when it’s burning a little pink. I love short hikes with my kids, swapping stories and making fun of each other. I love caves, waterfalls, and the way nature always reminds you that you’re small but part of something huge.

One of my favorite memories comes from Vermont. We had a goose that nested each spring in the same spot. The first year, she tried to lay her eggs in the middle of a gravel driveway. We put a hay bale in front of her to protect her. The next year, she came back with three geese and nested again. Each year the flock grew, until dozens of geese were returning. Watching them, protecting them, felt like stewardship. That was my first sense of what it means to be a “real environmentalist.”

But that’s not what we usually see in the headlines. What dominates the conversation is performative environmentalism— gestures that make people look green without solving real problems.

Straws and Prince Harry

Think about the war on plastic straws. Paper straws disintegrate in your drink, metal straws are annoying to carry, and in the end, straws represent less than half of one percent of ocean plastic waste. They’re a symbol, not a solution. And yet, banning straws became a global crusade while far larger sources of plastic pollution went untouched. That’s performative.

Or take Prince Harry, lecturing the world about carbon footprints before climbing aboard a private jet. The hypocrisy writes itself. Contrast that with Greta Thunberg’s voyage across the Atlantic by yacht to speak at the UN. Whether or not you agree with her, at least she lived the principle she preached.

The Four Faces of Performative Environmentalism

1. Greenwashing

Companies love to polish their image with green paint. Oil companies talk endlessly about renewable energy while 99% of their revenue still comes from fossil fuels. Coca-Cola runs ads about recycling while producing billions of plastic bottles every year. Apple makes a show of going “carbon neutral” on paper, but its manufacturing supply chain runs on coal-powered plants. Even diamonds get a green halo, marketed as “sustainably sourced” when the industry remains riddled with exploitation. These campaigns look good in commercials, but they don’t transform the underlying business.

2. Slacktivism

Social media makes it easy to signal virtue without taking action. Posting a hashtag, changing a profile picture, or sharing a “green” meme creates the appearance of involvement. But it rarely moves the needle. Clicking “like” doesn’t clean a river or reduce emissions. It’s participation theater.

3. Tokenism

Governments and corporations are guilty of this one. They roll out symbolic gestures — planting a few trees, banning plastic bags in one city, or funding a “green week.” These initiatives sound good in a press release, but they’re marginal in impact. Real change demands deep investment and innovation, not token efforts.

4. Ecoterrorism

On the far extreme, some activists resort to destruction in the name of saving the planet. Sabotaging pipelines, spiking trees, or vandalizing businesses doesn’t just break the law — it hardens opposition and undermines public trust in legitimate environmental action. Rage might grab headlines, but it rarely builds solutions.

Performers vs. Solvers

All of this performance shares one thing: it’s more about looking green than being green. It scratches the itch of conscience without producing meaningful results.

But there’s another group, quieter and far more impactful: the solvers. These are the entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders who create technologies, build companies, and shift industries in ways that reduce waste, conserve resources, and create sustainable alternatives.

Performers get applause; solvers build the future.

A founder who develops biodegradable packaging that actually competes with plastic is a real environmentalist. An entrepreneur creating affordable solar panels for off-grid communities is a real environmentalist. A startup that finds new ways to recycle old ships or capture methane from landfills is solving problems at scale.

These people may not be famous, but their impact is tangible. They don’t need hashtags or greenwashed commercials, because their work speaks for itself.

Why This Distinction Matters

The danger of performance is that it makes us feel like progress is happening when it isn’t. If we cheer Prince Harry’s speech but ignore his jet, we reward image over impact. If we pat ourselves on the back for banning straws while ignoring industrial waste, we confuse symbolism with substance.

Meanwhile, the real environmentalists — the builders — struggle for funding, recognition, and support. They’re not invited onto red carpets or celebrated at award shows. Yet they’re the ones who create the tools we actually need to confront climate change and ecological collapse.

The challenge, then, is to shift attention and resources away from performance and toward solutions. To recognize that environmental progress doesn’t come from press releases, but from people in workshops, labs, and startups who are doing the hard, unglamorous work of change.

Conclusion

The goose in Vermont didn’t care about hashtags or speeches. It needed a safe place to nest. Protecting it wasn’t about symbolism — it was about action.

That’s the lesson worth remembering. The planet doesn’t need more performers. It doesn’t need another green ad campaign or viral social post.

What it needs are solvers. Entrepreneurs. Builders. The people turning problems into opportunities and solutions.

Those are the real environmentalists.

Media Contact
Company Name: Real Environmentalists
Contact Person: Jim Beach
Email: Send Email
Country: United States
Website: https://realenvironmentalist.com/